<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>So Deadly, So Beautiful by savanting</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27767983">So Deadly, So Beautiful</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/savanting/pseuds/savanting'>savanting</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Kashimalin's 50 Kisses Challenge [18]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, DCU, DCU (Comics)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Canon Compliant, F/F, F/M, Female Friendship, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, One Shot, Possibly Unrequited Love, Short One Shot, Toxic Relationships, Unrequited Love, Villain romance, villain origin story</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 22:55:12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,055</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27767983</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/savanting/pseuds/savanting</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Lillian Rose was once Harleen Quinzel's best friend - but what about now? One-Shot.</p><p>[Prompt 18. Teasing kisses where one person blows air into the other’s mouth and runs away.]</p><p>Using Kashimalin's 50 kisses prompt list: https://www.google.com/amp/s/kashimalin-fanfiction.tumblr.com/post/178524845380/50-kiss-prompts/amp</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Harley Quinn &amp; Poison Ivy, Joker (DCU) &amp; Harleen Quinzel, Joker (DCU)/Harleen Quinzel</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Kashimalin's 50 Kisses Challenge [18]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2023708</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>So Deadly, So Beautiful</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I do not own any of the <i>DC Comics</i> pantheon.</p><p>@Five_seas humored me with Joker/Harley as a pairing to write - but damn if I didn't know what to do with them! Thus, we got a POV from Lillian Rose, the first incarnation of Poison Ivy (yes, Wikipedia is my friend). Now I just want to write all these dynamics, especially Harley and Poison Ivy, so there may be more in store in the weeks to come as I figure out my own DC Universe headcanons. </p><p>(Please bear in mind that I am running on my thoughts of Harley from the Batman animated series from the 90's, the graphic novel <i>Harleen</i>, and pieces of the first <i>Suicide Squad</i> movie and <i>Birds of Prey</i>. I have yet to watch Harley's own animated series, and I don't follow the comics whatsoever. And I just kinda disregard the TV series <i>Gotham</i>.) </p><p>I hope someone enjoys this little fic! Oh, and the M rating comes from language, not any other explicit content.</p><p>The link to the original prompt list: https://www.google.com/amp/s/kashimalin-fanfiction.tumblr.com/post/178524845380/50-kiss-prompts/amp</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Dr. Lillian Rose was not supposed to visit Arkham Asylum (as it had been dubbed by Gotham criminals, despite the institution’s once-impeccable standing in the field of mental health), but her hour-long lunch break from the Gotham Botanic Garden had brought her only footsteps away from the gates. There was only so long she could avoid this. She sighed, pondering, before walking into the building.</p><p>A bored-looking security officer sat at stand-by behind what looked like shatter-proof glass. “Can I help you?”</p><p>Lillian felt an uneasiness before saying, “I’m here to see a patient. She was just admitted last week.”</p><p>“Name?”</p><p>“Harleen Quinzel.”</p><p>A few taps on a keyboard and a print-out later, the officer slid her visitor pass under the glass. “Third floor,” the man said. “I’ll send a call ahead so they’ll bring her out.”</p><p>Lillian swallowed, taking up the pass and tossing her red hair over her shoulder. “Thanks, I appreciate it,” she said.</p><p>The officer waved his hand. “Just hope she’s not a rager. That could get ugly.”</p><p>She didn’t bother asking what he meant, though she had a sneaking feeling. She was buzzed through a locked door to get to the elevators.</p><p>Whatever awaited her, Lillian hoped it was more good than bad.</p><p>*</p><p>Seeing Harleen after a few months was a shock to Lillian. Sure, she had seen grainy footage on the news, but in-person? Harleen wasn’t the same young woman whom Lillian had met in their early semesters at Gotham University before Lillian had gone overseas to study in Australia.</p><p>Harleen’s blond hair hung in dank locks around her face, her eyes shadowed. The institutional clothes she wore hung far too loose on her body that looked like it had lost a lot of weight too quickly. Without make-up, Harleen looked like a teenager with a hangover. But Lillian had seen the erratic social media posts: it wouldn’t have surprised her if Harleen had regularly indulged in cocktails of drugs and alcohol. And the man himself who had helped her spiral out of control - well, it was strange how most of <i>those</i> posts had disappeared without a trace in the weeks since Harleen’s public breakdown.</p><p>“Harley,” Lillian said, sitting closer to the speaker space in the glass between them, “talk to me. I’m here to listen.”</p><p>At first, Lillian thought she would get nothing, not even a smile, until Harleen looked up at her with eyes that were all too aware. “Lilly, Lilly, always trying to help a lost little soul,” Harleen said in a sing-song voice. “Did you think you could save me too?”</p><p>Lilian shook her head. “I’m not the professional psychiatrist here,” she said.</p><p>A barking laugh came out of Harleen’s lips. “Oh, Lilly, you’re a riot,” she said. “You always knew how to have a good time.”</p><p>“Seems like you’ve been having a hell of a time yourself,” Lillian said. “Look, we can get you the best lawyers-”</p><p>Harleen laughed again, this time a biting sound. “I don’t need a <i>lawyer</i>,” she said. “Mister J is all I need.”</p><p>Lillian tapped her fingernails against the table. “He’s not coming for you, Harley,” she said, her voice tired. “He was using you, just like how he uses everyone in Gotham.” <i>You weren’t special,</i> she might have said, if the words hadn’t been particularly barbed with the acid of truth.</p><p>Before Lillian could react, Harleen had jumped up, her face nearly plastered to the glass, her expression a mask of rage and contempt. “What the hell do <i>you</i> know? Do you think I was just a fucking toy? Do you? Well, the joke’s on you! I’ll be the queen of this city! And then you and all the other has-beens will have no choice but to lick my boots!”</p><p>The words came out more and more vehement as she went on, until two orderlies had to come and pull Harleen back from the glass. And even as she was being restrained Harleen shot Lillian a wide, feral smile.</p><p>“Just you watch, Lilly! We’re gonna see the world burn! Get your front-row seat while you can because it’s gonna be a wild time!”</p><p>All Lillian could do was watch helplessly as the woman who had once been her best friend was dragged away, no better than any other petty criminal in Gotham.</p><p>*</p><p>A few nights later, Lillian found she couldn’t sleep. Her dreams were filled with laughing clowns and burning buildings and maddened laughter. Finally, sick of tossing and turning, she stepped out of bed and drew a robe around her. After filling up a glass of water, she sat down on the living room couch and flicked on her television.</p><p>A breaking news alert filled the screen. <i>ARKHAM ASYLUM BURNS; CRIMINALS BREAK FREE</i></p><p>Lillian drew a hand to her mouth - and right then her phone buzzed with a notification. Distracted, she glanced at the screen - only to see that she had gotten a text from an unknown number. Any other time she would have ignored it, but the timing seemed awfully convenient.</p><p>Someone had sent her a video. She clicked on it, and Harley’s face filled the screen.</p><p>“Na na na na na!” Harley’s gloating laugh filled up the room. “Told ya I didn’t need any damn lawyer!”</p><p>Another familiar face came up on the screen - but Lillian had only seen this face in mug shots and blurry phone footage.</p><p>The Joker, Gotham’s own villainous would-be clown, had his arm looped around Harley’s shoulder. “Is that thing even on?”</p><p>“No worries, Puddin’, we got all night,” Harley said, pressing teasing kisses against the man’s face of white make-up. He didn’t seem particularly enthused. And then Harley blew another kiss against the man’s mouth before darting away, her manic laughter resounding against all other noise.</p><p>Then Harley’s face returned, a gleeful smile on her face. Lillian had only ever seen Harley smile like that when she had been high on some drug in college. “Catch ya later, Lilly! I’ll invite ya to the wedding!”</p><p>Then the recording blacked out, and Lillian’s phone hung from her hand.</p><p>She wasn’t a hero, far from it, but seeing her best friend acting like this? She would have done anything to return things to normal.</p><p>Looking back, Lillian would realize later that this decision was the beginning of the end for her.</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>